Each year, Yale Law School faculty select recipients for a variety of prizes, drawing attention to notable papers, scholarship, and performance as a law student.
Student Prizes
Neale M. Albert Fund Prize
Awarded to the best student paper on the subject of art law, as determined by the Law School faculty
Robert D. Capodilupo ’23
The Notes You Don’t Play: An Empirical Analysis of the Ninth Circuit’s Filtration Problem in Music Copyright Cases
Charles G. Albom Prize
Awarded annually to a student who demonstrates excellence in the area of judicial or administrative appellate advocacy in connection with a Law School clinical program
Clare Elizondo ’23
Andrew Follett ’23
Lily Novak ’23
Miriam Pierson ’23
Stephanie Rice ’23
Burton H. Brody Prize
Best paper on constitutional privacy
Aaron X. Sobel ’23
End-Running Warrants: Purchasing Data Under the Fourth Amendment and the State Action Problem
Nathan Burkan Memorial Competition Prize
Best papers in the field of copyright
Thomas Ritz ’23
Smells Like Boomer Spirit
The Joseph A. Chubb Competition Prize
For excellence in legal draftsmanship and not legal scholarship
First Prize: Russell Bogue ’23 and Pragya Malik ’24
Brief for Respondents, Tyler v. Hennepin County, Minnesota
Second Prize: Victoria Suarez-Palomo ’24
Cert. Pool Memo, State of Oklahoma v. Robert Eric Wadkins
Barry S. Cohen Prize
Paper on a subject related to literature and the law
Zachary Krislov ’23
Textualism’s Attack on Democracy’s Narrative: Reading Bostock v. Clayton County
Felix S. Cohen Prize
Paper on subject relating to legal philosophy
Gregory Antill ’23
Rights, Reasons, and Culpability in Tort Law and Criminal Law
Tomas Churba LL.M. ’23
On Wrongs and Justifications
Edgar M. Cullen Prize
Best paper by a first-year student
Alyssa Resar ’25
Beneath Sovereign Shadows: Towards a New Sovereignty in the Cross-Strait Relationship
Thomas I. Emerson Prize
Distinguished paper or project on a subject related to legislation
Russell Bogue ’23
Statutory Structure
Ellie Driscoll ’23
Insulating Agencies: The Other Adequate Remedy Doctrine and the Administrative/Antidiscrimination Law Divide
Ambrose Gherini Prize
Best paper in the field of International Law, either public or private
Manuel Casas Martinez JSD ’23
Jurisdiction, Justiciability, and Avoidance in International Dispute Settlement: A Policy-Oriented Analysis
Margaret Gruter Prize
Best paper on how ethology, biology, and related behavior sciences may deepen our understanding of law
Dylan Farrell ’25
Agency Entrenchment: Sociological Legitimacy in a Politically Contested Occupation
Jerome Sayles Hess Prize for International Law
Best student who demonstrates excellence in the area of international law
Matei Alexianu ’23
Heather Zimmerman ’23
Marshall Jewell Prize
Best second-year student contribution to a Yale Law School journal other than the YLJ
Jordan Thomas ’26
Challenging the Inconceivability Fallacy: Post-Dobbs Abortion Rhetoric, Transgender Visibility, and What the United States Can Learn from Latin America’s “Green Wave”
Quintin Johnstone Prize in Real Property Law, established by the CATIC Foundation
To the student in his second or third year at the Law School who has demonstrated excellence in the area of real property law
Andrew P. Follet ’23
Mormon Property
Florence M. Kelley ‘37 Family Law Prize
To the student who demonstrates exceptional interest or achievement in the area of family law
Jessica Quinter ’23
Waiting-Period Laws Across Reproductive Outcomes
William T. Ketcham Jr. Prize
Best paper in the field of private international law to be awarded annually
No prize awarded
Khosla Memorial Fund for Human Dignity Prize
To the student who best demonstrates an active engagement in advancing the values of human dignity in the international arena
Porter Nenon ’23
Raphael Lemkin Prize
Paper in the field of international human rights
Porter Nenon ’23
“The government must give people their boundaries”: Community land rights and violent conflict in Marsabit county, Kenya.
Stephen J. Massey Prize
To the student(s) who best exemplifies, in work on behalf of clients and in other community service, the values of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School
Nketiah Berko ’23
Yael Caplan ’23
Nathan Cummings ’23
Adam Henderson ’23
Caroline Markowitz ’23
Judge William E. Miller Prize
For the best paper concerning the Bill of Rights
Joshua Hochman ’24
The Second Amendment on Board: Public and Private Historical Traditions of Firearm Regulation
C. LaRue Munson Prize
To be divided equally between two students for excellence in the investigation, preparation, and [where permitted under the legal internship rule] presentation of civil, criminal, or administrative law cases, under the supervision of a law school clinical program
Elinor Case-Pethica ’23
Poonam Daryani ’23
Ali Fraerman ’23
Alexis Kallen ’23
Joseph Parker Prize
Best paper on a subject connected with legal history or Roman law
Eric Eisner ’23
Violence and the Land: Indigenous Power and the Origins of American Property Law
Israel H. Peres Prize
Best student Note or Comment appearing in the YLJ
Danny Li ’22
Antisubordinating the Second Amendment
Clifford L. Porter Prize
Outstanding student performance in taxation open to students in other schools of the University
Isabella Forero ’23
Like Circus Clowns and Movie Actors, Women Should Deduct Their WorkAppearance Costs
Richard Wang ’23
The IRS and the Anti-Tax Movement: Attacks on the IRS in the Wake of the 1994 Republican Revolution
Edward D. Robbins Memorial Prize
Best third-year student contribution to a Yale Law School journal other than the YLJ
Aaron X. Sobel ’23
End-Running Warrants: Purchasing Data Under the Fourth Amendment and the State Action Problem
Benjamin Scharps Prize
Best paper by a third-year student
David Herman ’23
Laying the Dead to Rest: Defending the Permanent Judicial Invalidation of Statutes
Nicholas Pugliese ’23
The Kids Are Not Alright: Ending the Unconstitutional Reliance on Juvenile Conduct to Enhance Federal Criminal Sentences
Colby Townsend Memorial Prize
Best paper by a second-year student
Joshua Hochman ’24
The Second Amendment on Board: Public and Private Historical Traditions of Firearm Regulation
William K. S. Wang Prize
Cat Gassiot ’24
Jacob Levin ’24
Francis Wayland Prize
For proficiency in preparing and presenting a case in negotiation, arbitration, and litigation
Isabelle Barnard ’23
Emma Perez ’23
Fernando Rojas ’23
Rachel Talamo ’23
Judge Ralph K. Winter Jr. Prize for Corporate Law
Awarded annually to the best student paper written in corporate law
Alex Brod ’24
An Alternative Path for Alternative Data
Judge Ralph K. Winter Jr. Prize for Law and Economics
Awarded annually to the best student paper written in law and economics
Rachel Ruderman ’24
The NBA’s ‘One and Done’ Rule: Procompetitive Justifications and Anticompetitive Effects
Potter Stewart Prize
Established by alumni and friends of the School; to be awarded annually for the best student argument in advanced Moot Court competition
Russell Bogue ’23
Pragya Malik ’24
Thurman Arnold/ Harlan Fiske Stone Prize
For the best oral argument by a student in Moot Court
Russell Bogue ’23
Benjamin N. Cardozo/A. Leon Higginbotham Prize
For the best brief submitted by a student in the Moot Court Competition
Aroosa Cheema ’24
John Fletcher Caskey Prize
For the best presentation of a case on final trial in the Thomas Swan Barristers’ Union
Remington Hill ’25
John Currier Gallagher Prize
For the student showing most proficiency in the presentation of a case on final trial in the Thomas Swan Barristers’ Union
Sarah Shapiro ’25
Yale Law Journal Prize
Michael Egger Prize
For the best student Note or Comment on current social problems in The Yale Law Journal, on recommendation of the board of directors
Jessica Quinter ’23 and Caroline Markowitz ’23
Judicial Bypass and Parental Rights After Dobbs
Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Clinical Team Award
Jaster Francis ’23
Upasna Saha ’23
Charles G. Albom Prize
Awarded annually to a student who demonstrates excellence in the area of judicial or administrative appellate advocacy in connection with a Law School clinical program.
Jackson Busch ’22
Patrick Monaghan ’22
Kathleen Olds ’22
Burton H. Brody Prize
Best paper on constitutional privacy
Danny Li ’22
Jurisdiction Stripping after Roe and Dobbs: Revisiting a Federal Courts Story
The Joseph A. Chubb Competition Prize
For excellence in legal draftsmanship and not legal scholarship.
First Prize: Alan Chen ’23 and James Altschul ’23
Brief in SFFA v. Harvard
Second Prize: David Hopen ’23
Bench Memo in United States v. Crain
Barry S. Cohen Prize
Paper on a subject related to literature and the law
Alexander Zhang ’23
Noticing the Law
Felix S. Cohen Prize
Paper on subject relating to legal philosophy
Gregory Antill ’23
Police Perpetrated Homicides and the Case for Rethinking the Role of Intentional Harms in Criminal Law
Edgar M. Cullen Prize
Best paper by a first-year student
Ella Bunnell ’24
A False Dichotomy? The Relationship Between Group-Based and Individualized Justice
Jamie Piltch ’24
Political Subdivisions and the Myth of Neutrality: Why Subdivisions Should Not Be Used in Electoral Redistricting
Thomas I. Emerson Prize
Distinguished paper or project on a subject related to legislation
Jason Gardiner ’22
Putting Linguistics Back in CorpusLinguistics: A Contextualized Approach to Investigating Statutory Meaning
Alexander Zhang ’23
Noticing the Law
Ambrose Gherini Prize
Best paper in the field of International Law, either public or private
Sam Aber ’22
A Counter-Declaration on Friendly Relations: The Gulf Crisis of 1990–91 and the Fundamental Principles of International Hierarchy
Brian Liu ’24
Presidential Emergency Forfeiture Powers as Victim Compensation
Margaret Gruter Prize
Best paper on how ethology, biology, and related behavior sciences may deepen our understanding of law
Jane Jacoby ’24
Fighting Fire with Fire: How NEPA’s Emphasis on Risk Prevents Prescribed Burns and Intensifies Wildfire
Jerome Sayles Hess Prize for International Law
Best student who demonstrates excellence in the area of international law
Chris Ewell ’22
Angela Remus ’22
Marshall Jewell Prize
Best second-year student contribution to a Yale Law School journal other than the YLJ
Saylor S. Soinski ’23
Paid Donation: Reconciling Altruism and Compensation in Oocyte Transfer
Quintin Johnstone Prize in Real Property Law, established by the CATIC Foundation
To the student in his second or third year at the Law School who has demonstrated excellence in the area of real property law
Nathaniel Donahue ’22
Off the Beaten Path: Conscription, Localism, and the Rules of Roadmaking in 19th-Century America
William T. Ketcham Jr. Prize
Best paper in the field of private international law to be awarded annually
Zachary Shelley ’23 and Gavin Landgraf ’23
Taming Conflict of Laws Through a Model Statute
Khosla Memorial Fund for Human Dignity Prize
To the student who best demonstrates an active engagement in advancing the values of human dignity in the international arena.
Chris Ewell ’22
Tim Hirschel-Burns ’22
Raphael Lemkin Prize
Paper in the field of international human rights
Tim Hirschel-Burns ’22
Human Rights Obligations Sans Frontières: Transnational Distributive Processes and Extraterritorial Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights Obligations
Stephen J. Massey Prize
To the student(s) who best exemplifies, in work on behalf of clients and in other community service, the values of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School
Medha Swaminathan ’22
Zoe Masters ’22
Evan Walker-Wells ’22
Estrella Lucero ’22
Judge William E. Miller Prize
For the best paper concerning the Bill of Rights
Nathaniel Donahue ’22
Off the Beaten Path: Conscription, Localism, and the Rules of Roadmaking in 19th-Century America
C. LaRue Munson Prize
To be divided equally between two students for excellence in the investigation, preparation, and [where permitted under the legal internship rule] presentation of civil, criminal, or administrative law cases, under the supervision of a law school clinical program
Alexander Fischer ’22
Casey Smith ’22
Nan Baker ’22
Phoenix Rice Johnson ’22
Joseph Parker Prize
Best paper on a subject connected with legal history or Roman law
Nathaniel Donahue ’22
Off the Beaten Path: Conscription, Localism, and the Rules of Roadmaking in 19th-Century America
Israel H. Peres Prize
Best student Note or Comment appearing in the YLJ
Samuel T. Ayres ’22
State Water Ownership and the Future of Groundwater Management
Clifford L. Porter Prize
Outstanding student performance in taxation open to students in other schools of the University
Danny Hirsch ’23
The CIC Services two-step and the Future of Litigation Against the IRS
Emmett Witkovsky-Eldred ’22
A Tale of Two Neighborhoods: How Pennsylvania’s Property Tax Reassessments Reinforce Inequality
Edward D. Robbins Memorial Prize
Best third-year student contribution to a Yale Law School journal other than the YLJ
Yolanda Bustillo ’22
Compassionate Release During Crises: Expanding Federal Court Powers
Benjamin Scharps Prize
Best paper by a third-year student
Samuel T. Ayres ’22
State Water Ownership and the Future of Groundwater Management
Colby Townsend Memorial Prize
Best paper by a second-year student
David Herman ’23
Treating Racism, Not Race: How to Constitutionally Combat Racial Disparities in Health
Jane Jacoby ’24
Fighting Fire with Fire: How NEPA’s Emphasis on Risk Prevents Prescribed Burns and Intensifies Wildfire
William K. S. Wang Prize
Alex Brod ’24
Amir Perk ’23
Francis Wayland Prize
For proficiency in preparing and presenting a case in negotiation, arbitration, and litigation
Atticus Ballesteros ’22
Anna Egas ’22
Alasdair Phillips-Robins ’22
Judge Ralph K. Winter Jr. Prize for Corporate Law
Awarded annually to the best student paper written in corporate law
Henry Bauer ’22 and Kristin Angelle Sharman ’22
Bankruptcy, Liquidity, and the Structure of Corporate Credit Facilities
Jackson Skeen ’22
Uptier Exchange Transactions: Lawful Innovation or Lender-on-Lender Violence?
Judge Ralph K. Winter Jr. Prize for Law and Economics
Awarded annually to the best student paper written in law and economics
Caroline Grueskin ’22
At Least as Effective: OSHA, the State Plans, and Divergent Worker Protections from COVID-19
Potter Stewart Prize
Established by alumni and friends of the School; to be awarded annually for the best student argument in advanced Moot Court competition
James Altschul ’23
Alan Chen ’23
Thurman Arnold/ Harlan Fiske Stone Prize
For the best oral argument by a student in Moot Court
Rubin Danberg Biggs ’23
Benjamin N. Cardozo/A. Leon Higginbotham Prize
For the best brief submitted by a student in the Moot Court Competition
Cynthia Long ’23
John Fletcher Caskey Prize
For the best presentation of a case on final trial in the Thomas Swan Barristers’ Union
Clio Sophia Koller ’22
John Currier Gallagher Prize
For the student showing most proficiency in the presentation of a case on final trial in the Thomas Swan Barristers’ Union
Ayesha Durrani ’24
Yale Law Journal Prize
Michael Egger Prize
For the best student Note or Comment on current social problems in The Yale Law Journal, on recommendation of the board of directors
Samuel T. Ayres ’22
State Water Ownership and the Future of Groundwater Management
Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Clinical Team Award
Brendan Bernicker ’22
Elsa Lora ’23
Marnie Lowe ’22
Alexandra Ricks ’22
Charles G. Albom Prize
Awarded annually to a student who demonstrates excellence in the area of judicial and/or administrative appellate advocacy in connection with a Law School clinical program
Sophie Laing ’21
Jordan Brewington ’21
Lily Halpern ’21
Jacob Schriner-Briggs ’21
Ramis Wadood ’21
The Joseph A. Chubb Competition Prize
For excellence in legal draftsmanship and not legal scholarship; two prizes to be awarded
1st prize: Gabe Levine ’21
“Petitioner’s Brief, Trump v. Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, et. al.”
2nd prize: Holden Tanner ’21
“Petitioner’s Brief, Trump v. Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University, et. al.”
Felix S. Cohen Prize
Paper on subject relating to legal philosophy
Gregory Antill ’23
"Fitting the Model Penal Code Into a Reasons-Responsiveness Picture of Subjective Culpability: A Skeptical Challenge To The ‘Standard Picture’ of Criminal Liability"
Edgar M. Cullen Prize
Best paper by a first-year student
Russell Bogue ’23, Broderick Johnson ’23, and Shunhe Wang ’23
“The Road From Rhodes: The Impact of Double Celling on State Investment in Incarceration”
Thomas I. Emerson Prize
Distinguished paper or project on a subject related to legislation
Alexander Zhang ’23
“Legislative Statutory Interpretation”
Ambrose Gherini Prize
Best paper in the field of International Law, either public or private
Gregor Novak ’21 JSD
"Global Lawmaking and Social Change: The Varieties and Dynamics of Customary International Lawmaking"
Gershon Hasin ’21 JSD
"Ocean Governance in the 21st Century: A New “Package-Deal” to Balance Mare Liberum and Mare Clausum"
Margaret Gruter Prize
Best paper on how ethology, biology, and related behavior sciences may deepen our understanding of law
Saylor Soinski ’23
"Paid Donation: Reconciling Extrinsic and Intrinsic Motivations in Oocyte Transfer"
Jerome Sayles Hess Prize for International Law
Best student who demonstrates excellence in the area of international law
Mark Stevens ’21
Marshall Jewell Prize
Best second-year student contribution to a Yale Law School journal other than the YLJ
Michael S. Avi-Yonah ’22
"The Nation-State that Never Sets: Hong Kong, Deglobalization, and the Endurance of Nation-States in Protecting Rights"
Quintin Johnstone Prize in Real Property Law. Established by the CATIC Foundation.
To the student in his second or third year at the Law School who has demonstrated excellence in the area of real property law
Jordan Brewington ’21
"Dismantling the Master’s House: Reparations on the American Plantation"
Pat Reidy ’21
"Condemning Worship: Religious Liberty Protections and Church Takings"
Florence M. Kelley ’37 Family Law Prize
To the student who demonstrates exceptional interest or achievement in the area of family law
Shana Hurley ’21
"Vindicating the Right to Read"
William T. Ketcham Jr. Prize
Best paper in the field of private international law to be awarded annually
Michael Loughlin ’21
"NAFTA Chapter 11 to USMCA Chapter 14: The Substantive Differences in the Investment Chapters of NAFTA and USMCA, the Motivations Behind These Changes, and the Likely Implications of These Modifications”
Khosla Memorial Fund for Human Dignity Prize
To the student who best demonstrates an active engagement in advancing the values of human dignity in the international arena
Dianne Lake ’21
Raphael Lemkin Prize
Paper in the field of international human rights
Anna Wherry ’21
“Narrowing Responsibility: Colombia’s Violence Commissions and the Politics of Human Rights, 1958-2011”
Stephen J. Massey Prize
To the student who best exemplifies, in work on behalf of clients and in other community service, the values of the Jerome N. Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School
Felisha Miles ’21
Jeff Schroeder ’21
Molly Petchenik ’21
Julia Geiger ’21
Rebecca Steele ’21
Hannah Abelow ’21
Judge William E. Miller Prize
For the best paper concerning the Bill of Rights
Gilad Abiri ’20 JSD and Sebastian Guidi ’23 JSD
"The Pandemic Constitution"
Duncan Hosie ’21
“The First Amendment, Janus, and the Movement Dissent”
C. LaRue Munson Prize
To be divided equally between two students for excellence in the investigation, preparation, and [where permitted under the legal internship rule] presentation of civil, criminal, or administrative law cases, under the supervision of a law school clinical program
Eli Feasley ’21
Adam Kinkley ’21
Keith Woolridge ’21
Daniel Ki ’21
Lisa Chen ’21
Alex Boudreau ’21
Joseph Parker Prize
Best paper on a subject connected with legal history or Roman law
Alexander Zhang ’23
“Legislative Statutory Interpretation”
Israel H. Peres Prize
Best student Note or Comment appearing in the YLJ
Simon Brewer ’20
“The Attorney General’s Settlement Authority and the Separation of Powers”
Caroline Lawrence ’21 and Blake Schultz ’21
“Divide and Conquer? Lessons on Cooperative Federalism from a Decade of Mental-Health Parity Enforcement”
Clifford L. Porter Prize
Outstanding student performance in taxation open to students in other schools of the University
Ezra Kagan ’22
“The Tax Procedure Trap: Why Undermining the IRS Will Harm Low-Income Taxpayers”
Edward D. Robbins Memorial Prize
Best third-year student contribution to a Yale Law School journal other than the YLJ
Geoffrey Block ’21
“Turf Wars: Arming Congress's Gang (of Eight)”
Benjamin Scharps Prize
Best paper by a third-year student
Joshua Feinzig ’21
“Political Re-Enfranchisement and the Boundary Problem of 'Lost' Rights”
Matthew Quallen ’21
“How to Save the Census: Political Control and the United States Census Bureau”
Colby Townsend Memorial Prize
Best paper by a second-year student
Alexander Zhang ’23
“Legislative Statutory Interpretation”
William K. S. Wang Prize
Braden Currey ’23
Kaleb Mount ’23
Sherry Tanious ’21
Francis Wayland Prize
For proficiency in preparing and presenting a case in negotiation, arbitration, and litigation
Isabel Echarte ’21
Karen Anderson ’21
Emily Yeh ’21
Camila Bustos ’21
Mollie Berkowitz ’21
Judge Ralph K. Winter Jr. Prize for Law and Economics
Awarded annually to the best student paper written in law and economics
Andrew Brod ’22
“Mechanism Design and Behavioral Economics: Incentivizing Optimal Pre-Trial Discovery”
David Herman ’21
“Debiasing McDonnell Douglas: Background Circumstances Analysis for Traditional Discrimination Plaintiffs”
Judge Ralph K. Winter Jr. Prize for Corporate Law
Awarded annually to the best student paper written in corporate law
Dhruv Aggarwal ’21
“Transactional Lawyers as Transnational Legal Actors"
The following are additional prizes from the 2020-2021 academic year not selected by the faculty:
Potter Stewart Prize
Established by alumni and friends of the School. To be awarded annually for the best student argument in advanced Moot Court competition
Marnie Lowe ’22
Akanksha Shah ’22
Thurman Arnold/Harlan Fiske Stone Prize
For the best oral argument by a student in Moot Court
Erik Fredericksen ’22
Benjamin N. Cardozo/A. Leon Higginbotham Prize
For the best brief submitted by a student in the Moot Court Competition
Elise Kostial ’21
John Fletcher Caskey Prize
For the best presentation of a case on final trial in the Thomas Swan Barristers’ Union
Nick Barile ’23
John Currier Gallagher Prize
For the student showing most proficiency in the presentation of a case on final trial in the Thomas Swan Barristers’ Union
Ryanne Bamieh ’23
Yale Law Journal Prize (Michael Egger Prize)
For the best student Note or Comment on current social problems in The Yale Law Journal, on recommendation of the board of directors
Jordan Brewington ’21
“Dismantling the Master’s House: Reparations on the American Plantation”
Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Clinical Team Award
Matt Kellner ’21
Natalie Cauley ’21
Leila Blatt ’21
Shiv Rawal ’21